This memorable 2004 ad and commercial were banned in China and received a number of complaints in Singapore. At the time, “the State Administration for Radio, Film, and Television in China released a statement saying that ‘the ad violates regulations that mandate that all advertisements in China should uphold national dignity and interest and respect the motherland’s culture.’ Various aspects of the commercial are representative of Chinese traditional culture, and their subjugation by an American basketball player can be interpreted as China being defeated by America.”
Nike went on to issue a formal apology that was published in several of China’s major newspapers shortly after the ban and at the time of the original campaign, the television commercial still aired in Hong Kong “as no complaints were filed there.”
In Singapore (where the ads contained the same storyline but were designed to resemble graffiti) the ads received complaints but no word as to whether they were removed (graffiti art is illegal in Singapore). Take a trip back to 2004 below and if you want to check out pictures of the original Lebron II check them out at the links below!
NIKE AIR ZOOM LEBRON II WHITE NAVY CRIMSON 2004
NIKE AIR ZOOM LEBRON II BLACK RED 2004